this bitter earth
by sadcatsam
Summary: All Bumblebee and Sam ever did was drive together, and it was always pleasant to do. But everything just started to change for the worse after the Battle of Chicago.


Sam and Bumble were connected. It's a rather cliche way of putting it but they were like brothers. Inseparable. If Bee had been gone for too long Sam always managed to sneak his way into where ever it was and greeted the other and go out for a drive. That's all they did, just drive. It didn't matter where they went, or where it took them, they just loved to drive together. Particularly, they always went alone. Ironhide would always chastise Bee for sneaking out with Sam, but Ratchet always intervened and told it to leave the small robot alone. Sam was its friend after all, or as Sam put it: "My first car."

Two conversations were always made while they were driving. One of the conversations was Sam to Bee, and that was verbally. A lot of the times Sam would rant to Bee about anything, parents, relationships, jobs, school, _anything_. Bee would listen, always Bee would listen to Sam. Sometimes it would give Sam a reply, sometimes it wouldn't, but Sam didn't mind anyway. The two of them were just so close that neither of them really needed to talk, but they did anyway. The other conversation was Bee to Sam, and that was done by just driving, or even the radio if Bee was that tense or annoyed. Sometimes Bee would take Sam out to the middle of no where while he was on one of his long rants, and they would both wait until the middle of the night to just sit there and watch the stars while Bee played music (sometimes they listened to the people talk on the radio or listen to the news).

They both enjoyed each others company a lot. Sometimes Sam would take his girlfriend with him, and Bee didn't mind at all as long as it was able to 'talk' with Sam. Bee liked Sam's girlfriend anyway, she was a nice lady, gentle, and just in general pleasant to be around. The robot knew why Sam enjoyed her company. Sometimes Optimus came along on their drives too, and Sam didn't mind as long as he was able to talk to Bee. There had even been one time that Ratchet had told Ironhide to go with Bee and Sam on their trips to calm down. "Doctor's orders," Ratchet had stated. It was a fun drive anyway. Bee took them to another place in the middle of no where and they watched the stars together and Ironhide was calm for a week. Ratchet was impressed. They were gone for a couple days, went to Tennessee for the trip. It was a wonderful ride.

But after the Battle of Chicago everything just changed. It wasn't that Bee didn't want to take a drive with Sam, but it still wasn't over the death of his comrades lost in battle, and Bee was _especially_ not over Ironhide's death. Sam inquired about Ironhide's death to Bee, but the other hardly said a thing and just sat there looking miserable. A month later Bee disappeared along with the other Autobots. Every night after Bee disappeared Sam sat inside the garage running his hand over the Not-Bumblebee-Car gently. He stood up until 2AM in the morning sometimes. Just sitting at the side, staring at the car. That's all he ever did after Bee left, just stare (A year later he sold the car and came home crying. Whenever anyone asked him to drive he shook his head and it looked as if he was going to cry. He never drove a single car after that, it hurt too much.).

Then one day Bumblebee came back.

Sam was going to the garage like any other night after work and saw the gleaming Camaro playing an excerpt of the song _Without Me_ by Eminem. The musical notes rang in Sam's ear and the widest grin popped onto his face. He pressed his hand to the hood of the car almost in tears and quietly he whispered, "I missed you, Bee." The touching moment was cut short and Sam turned furious, "Why did you leave?" The music cut and the other was silent.

Eventually the driver's door opened bidding Sam to come in. The Human gave a sigh, went to open the garage door, hopped in, and Bee started to drive far away. As they were driving, Bee finally started to try to communicate. "I had to run for my life - they were after me - the Humans - war against the - Autobots."

Sam raised an eyebrow and waved his hands in front of him in disbelief. "Wait, wait. Bee, are you telling me that N.E.S.T are at war with you?" There was a silence and Sam took that as a yes. "Oh my god.. B-but why? I mean, you guys saved Chicago- Earth for Christ's sake! You stopped Megatron and Sentinel and the the sun from exploding and everything! Why would they be hunting you all down?" His voice had started to become faster and faster and faster.

"I don't know- Sam." Silence afterwards. Sam laid far back on the seat letting Bee take them to a random location and sit there and watch the stars. The Human closed his eyes as he heard the barely audible engine "Sam?"

Sam opened his eyes very slowly, "Yeah Bee?"

"We'll always be friends- right?"

Sam gave a small laugh and nodded, "Of course Bee! We'll always be friends, and you'll always be my first car." Gently, Sam started to run his hands over the wheel of the car, smiling to himself; and Bee smiled too. "We'll be friends till the end."

"Friends- forev-," it wasn't able to finish that sentence. From far off a rocket was launched and smashed Bee's side forcing him to transform and spit out Sam from the pit. It came from nowhere, and Bee looked up and over trying to pinpoint where it came from. Another one hit it and it stumbled trying to get back up.

"_**Bumblebee!"**_ The Autobot gave a whine and a buzz as his visuals whirred to stabilize again. Bee looked around again, this time more smarter, it grabbed Sam and transformed back into a car driving off with Sam inside of it. Sam was shocked, and he turned around to spot a helicopter in the distance along with trucks and soldiers running after Bee. "Those are-" Another rocket hit the ground barely missing the Autobot. Sam turning back to Bee, demandingly he shouted, "Bee you have to transform to protect yourself!" Silence. "Bee! Are you listening to me! They'll kill you if you don't transform!"

"They'll kill _you_- if I do- transform.- I'm your Guardian- I have to- protect you."

Sam banged his hand on the dashboard which made Bee swerve to the side. Another rocket was launched and narrowly missed Bee. "I don't care! You're my car! It's my job to protect you!"

"No." Silence. After what seemed like a million years, Bee spotted Ratchet from afar. His lights were on it was then that Bee transformed into it's former self, spitting out Sam onto it's hand and laying him gently on the ground. Visors covered its face then, and it rose up between Sam and the Humans. Bumblebee shot a round at the Humans randomly, hoping that none were killed but rather just injured. It scooted back, and when it did Sam also scuffled backwards. Every time Bumblebee shot an onslaught of bullets and explosives hit it causing it to recoil and its alloys to whine as it bent. Ratchet came and drove up to Sam and transformed pulling Bee to the side.

"Bee, come on! We have to go!"

"No- I won't leave- I have to protect- Sam."

"Don't be ridiculous, they wouldn't hurt Sam!"

Bee turned to look at Ratchet, just then another rocket was shot at the two of them. Bee flung it's arm at the explosive and took the damage for both Sam and Ratchet. Sam, meanwhile, was trying to get up and stabilize himself so that he could run, or crawl away. Whichever was easier. "Yes- they would! They shot at me- regardless if- Sam was- in my- other form- or not!" A round of SMG rounds was pattering at the two of them now, and Bee moves closer to Sam trying to cover him up.

"Bee, go! They won't shoot at me! I survived the Battle of Chicago I can survive this!" The yellow Autobot glanced down at Sam.

"But-" Again, their speechless conversations took place and eventually Bee gave in. "Fine- get out of here- before something- happens." Carefully Bee moved his leg and started to run and Sam ran the opposite direction but the timing was bad, oh how the timing was bad. Bee had thought everything would have played out perfectly, that Ratchet and it would run off into the unknown and Sam would just be arrested or something other and that he would work his magic to save the Autobots. That's how it all worked out. Sam was always the one to save the day, not the Autobots, but Sam in the end. Everything was going to be alright. They would all be back where they were and Bee and Sam would be able to take their long weekend drives in the middle of no where and enjoy each others company. Maybe with Ratchet this time around, Ratchet always liked to look at the stars.

Everything was going to be ok.

_But it wasn't._

The Humans didn't care. They didn't care one bit about what happened to Sam, the man who helped save Earth. Bumblebee hadn't looked back until it was a far ways from Sam, and when it did, it saw Sam lying on the ground. At first Bumblebee had thought that, perhaps, Sam was lying on the ground to prevent himself from getting shot or hit, which was reasonable, but something was off. Bumblebee paused for a few nanoseconds, then a sudden screech of pain came from its already torn vocal box. It made the Humans stop firing for the time that Bumblebee had screeched finding that the sound was worse than nails across a blackboard or the sound of metal being slowly torn in half. Ratchet himself even bent forward in pain as the sound was so ungodly that he wanted to punch Bee to stop the noise.

It was a terrible noise. It was a noise of death.

Bumblebee fell to its knees, reaching for Sam's lifeless body. It was trying to say something, anything, but no words came out- no words couldn't come out. Only the pained noises of static and metal against metal from the broken and battered voice box that was still within its throat. Again, this had to happen again. First Jazz, then Ironhide, now Sam. Everyone was disappearing left and right, leaving it in the cruel world of humans alone. All that was left on this bitter Earth was Ratchet, Optimus, Dino… but Dino was dead also, or was it Sideswipe?

All the names were being blended together again, and Bee hated that Sam is now apart of that blended mess of names. Bee made another screech that made the Humans drop their weapons. In a sudden motion, Bee got up and pointed its guns at the Humans, threatening with every last drop to blow them away. The pain and anger was seething into Bee's spark, the pain was just too much, and Ratchet had to pull Bee away as this was their chance to leave, to make a grand escape. "Bumblebee we have to go-" before he could finish Bumblebee shoved him off almost throwing him to the ground. "Control yourself Bumblebee! We have to go!" Ratchet laid another hand on Bee and started to pry him away from the Humans that were trying to ready themselves once again. "There's nothing we can do. We have to go, _now_!"

It only took Bee a few seconds to lower its weapons. Visors were raised and a short glance was made at Sam's body. It closed its eyes, turned toward Ratchet and transformed into its other state. Ratchet also transformed making a quick getaway.

They both drove away, Bumblebee never looked at the stars ever again.


End file.
